


Dragon Age: Two Heroes

by Matty014



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), BAMF Uraraka Ochako, Dalish Elf Uraraka Ochako, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mage Midoriya Izuku, Protective Uraraka Ochako, Tall Uraraka Ochako, Uraraka Ochako is the Inquisitor, Uraraka Ochako is the Protagonist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:10:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matty014/pseuds/Matty014
Summary: Ochako Lavellan awoke in unfamiliar surroundings with a strange mark on her hand. She has no memory of how it got there or how to use it, but now she must traverse through the world of Thedas to attempt to save it from an unknown terror with her most trusted friend and apostate companion by her side.





	1. The Breach

A scream of pure anguish could be heard down the hall, accompanied by the hurried shouts of other beings. It drew her attention immediately and she rushed to chase after it. The ornate, gilded halls seemed to stretch for miles, her toned legs and arms working hard to race toward the door at the end where an eerie, green light was pouring from the crack under the door itself.

**“H̭͞o͎̾l̢͇͂́d̯̏ ̖̐ṫ̤̘͗ȟ̺e̓͢ ͘ͅp̯͕̊͂r͙i͕̐s͈̳͐̾ó̮̲͝n̮̏͜͠e̍͢r͙̖̆̎ ̛̲͎͌ś̪t̰̼͗̍ǐ̩l̙̜̃͝l͔̮̎͋,”** a chilling, oddly calm voice commanded. It sounded like every stern clan leader’s voice she had ever heard mixed into one, the timbre of it was inhuman and seemed to surround her all over all at once.

She attempted to slam into the door once, twice, three times as the lock holding the oak began to give under her formidable strength. “What’s going on here!?” Ochako burst into the room only to witness a large flash of light and then… 

Nothing.

* * *

“Is she awake yet?” The unfamiliar voice began to clear Ochako’s thoughts as she managed to crack her eyes, spots of light beginning to cloud her vision in the dark, torch-lit room in which she was kneeling. 

The sounds of shuffling feet stirred her further. “She’s in and out, ma’am. I’m afraid whatever did this to her hit her pretty damned hard.”

The voice sighed in a distinctly feminine way. A woman? 

“Well, let me know the minute she wakes up, we have questions for her.”

Ochako groaned as she shifted her knees, beginning to feel the stiffness that had set in.

Hurried footsteps rushed toward her as someone knelt down and gently lifted her chin to the light. “Can you hear me? We need you to wake up. Now.” There wasn’t necessarily hostility in her voice, but there was an undeniable authority and sense of urgency.

“Mm’awake. Ssorry, where am I?”

The voice sighed, and Ochako was able to slowly make out features. She was a fairly young woman, no older than thirty, with red hair and eyes that were of a striking turquoise color. “You’re in Haven. Tell me, what do you remember?”

Ochako shook her head. “I was running… And then…” She grit her teeth, trying desperately to grasp onto memories that flitted away faster than she could follow. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”

“That’s not surprising.” The woman sighed again, gently helping Ochako to her feet. “You were at the center of a magical explosion, the nature of which is still unidentified.”

“I-” Ochako gasped as her left hand suddenly erupted with pain. Green electricity crackled from her palm, as every nerve ending screamed at her as if she was being stabbed through the hand with a flaming sword a thousand times over.

The woman grimaced. “I had hoped that would pass. That apostate wasn’t much help at all, was he?”

Ochako perked up at that. “Apostate?”

“Yes, some man insisted he knew you. Hotter heads than mine wanted to lock him in here with you, but he insisted he would be able to help as long as you were cared for.”

A sudden wave of relief washed over her. If he was safe, that meant that things would be okay. 

The woman appraised Ochako as the pain began to ebb away. “I’m Itsuka, by the way. I’m a Seeker and the ri-” she winced. “The right hand of the Divine.”

Ochako nodded. “I’m Ochako, I’m, well, I guess you can see what I am.”

“Yes,” Itsuka agreed. “It’s not often I encounter a Dalish elf, let alone one as tall as I am.” She smiled sadly. “I wish we could have met under better circumstances.”

The elven woman hummed. “I do too.” As the pair stepped outside, Ochako looked up, expecting to see a clear blue sky, only to be faced with what looked like a literal tear in the heavens, which was spiraling out like the sky before a storm with a single funnel of green light shooting down to the ground.

“They’re calling it ‘the Breach’,” Itsuka supplied, following Ochako’s line of sight. “So far, you’re our only lead.”

Ochako bit her lip. “I wish I remembered more.” Her feet started moving forward, thankfully, and she breathed deeply of the cold mountain air. 

“Maybe getting closer will help. At the very least we can meet that apostate again; now that you’re awake he might be more able to help. He’s been distracted, asking about you.”

She let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Where is he now?”

“Just up ahead, keep up.” Itsuka started jogging past groups of people who immediately tensed when they saw Ochako. More than a couple shot her dirty looks. 

“I get the feeling I’m not welcome here,” Ochako panted as she jogged to keep up with Itsuka. 

The redhead frowned as she looked around. They hadn’t even gotten halfway through the small village of Haven yet, and there seemed to be several small clusters of people all whispering amongst themselves. “They blame you for what happened. They  _ need _ to blame someone. So far you’re our only lead, so I can’t necessarily fault them for jumping to conclusions.”

Ochako grimaced as the duo passed through a gate at the far end of town, leaving the lines of buildings and judgemental looks behind as they approached the paths that led through the mountains. “It’s okay, I’m used to it.” 

Itsuka was about to say something when the bridge they had just started running over gave out underneath them. Both women tumbled down into a snowbank, the clatter of splintered wood and metal hitting frozen lake water filling the air. 

“Are you alright?” Ochako called out, but Itsuka was already on her feet, sword and shield drawn as a green comet arced through the sky and landed on the ground where it started to bubble with a sickly green glow and a monstrosity burst forth. 

“Demon! Hide yourself!” Itsuka commanded as she took a wild slash at the creature. Ochako scrambled across the ground to comply with her request, putting some distance between herself and the small battle. She finally managed to pull herself to her feet, moving toward some broken boxes on the snow bank where she could gain some cover. 

As if on cue, the ground bubbled again, signaling the arrival of another demon. Ochako looked around desperately for a weapon when a glint of silver caught her eye. “Oh, thank the Creators.” She dove for the hilt of the greatsword and hefted it up with ease, finding it to be a bit crude, but balanced well enough. The demon finally materialized and Ochako went on the offensive, taking wide swings with the sword and began cutting the demon to ribbons until it burst into a dark cloud of smoke and vanished with a piercing scream.

Suddenly, Itsuka turned her sword on Ochako. “Drop the sword. You’ve been cooperative, but put the weapon down.”

Ochako felt the urge to protest but quickly swallowed it, nodding slowly. “Alright.”

“Wait,” Itsuka commanded, frowning. “I… I can’t expect you to be defenseless. Keep it.”

The brunette smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“I may not know you yet, but you’ve shown your willingness to help, I should remember that.” She sighed as the two women began jogging along the path once again. “I apologize. I can’t imagine life is easy for a Dalish mercenary, let alone one as… different as you.”

Ochako chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly the queen of beauty in my clan.”

Itsuka snorted as she pointed ahead. “Tell that to him.”

Suddenly a messy bun of dark curls came into view. He always seemed to have a greenish glow around his dark locks, as if his hair itself reflected the magic of the Fade. His green eyes snapped to the sound of the approaching women and his face instantly went from tense to relaxed to overjoyed in the span of a couple of seconds.

“Ochako!” He ran to her, immediately wrapping the woman in a fierce hug. “Thank the Maker, you’re safe.”

The elf’s whole world froze for a moment as she savored the brief moment of familiarity that she felt as she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m okay, Izuku. I’m so glad you’re safe too.”

He stepped away from her, far sooner than she would have liked. In the chaos of the day’s events, Izuku’s freckled face was a very welcome sight. 

“Well, things have gone to shit, but at least we can all hug.” A new voice piped up. “Can I get one of those?”

Ochako looked down to see a blonde dwarf smiling cheekily at her. His face was relatively smooth for a dwarf’s, meaning he was still fairly young. He had a neatly trimmed golden beard and a thick mane of golden hair cleanly tied back into a short ponytail. “Name’s Denki, glad to meet you before we all die.”

“We’re not going to die,” Itsuka retorted. “Now stop being melodramatic.”

Denki put his hands up defensively. “Look, I call it as I see it, and  _ that _ -” he pointed to the Breach. “Looks like some end-times shit to me, Seeker.”

Ochako’s hand began to burn again as the sky flashed with light and she immediately dropped to her knees with a yelp.

“Hey!” Izuku dropped with her, holding her steady as she rode out the waves of pain. “Ochako!? Ochako!”

She clamped her jaw shut, hissing softly. “Yeah, it’ll pass.”

The man waited until the sparking electricity subsided before gently taking Ochako’s hand and examining it. With each passing second, he seemed to age exponentially; his brow furrowing and a worry setting into his features that Ochako hadn’t seen before. 

“That bad, huh?” She asked with a rueful smile.

He shook his head. “I want to say you’re going to be fine, but I’ve never seen anything like this; it’s Fade magic, that much is clear, but the nature of it is unclear. I can’t tell if it’s benevolent or malicious, or what purpose it’s meant to serve.” His eyes flashed with a yellowish light and he hummed softly.  _ “An anchor, huh…” _

“Izuku?”

“Sorry, just-” he sighed. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out. Let’s get moving and I’ll explain more if it turns out I’m correct.”

Ochako groaned. “Very helpful and not cryptic at all, thank you.”

“It’s hard to explain, come on.”

The two set off at a jog, with Ochako following Izuku. Itsuka made a small shout of protest but followed along as well, while Denki took up the rear.

* * *

“So, Ochako, was it?” Denki piped up about five minutes into the trek. “Tell me, how does a Dalish elf end up in the middle of all this? And followup question, what the hell are they feeding you in your clan? Andraste’s  _ tits _ , you’re tall.”

Itsuka growled at him. “Can you  _ not _ blaspheme in my presence, please?”

“Sorry, Seeker.”

Ochako glanced back where Denki was looking at her expectantly. “Well, I left my clan a while ago. I got sick of the isolation-”  _ A lie. _ “-and I wanted to see the world so I started working as a mercenary, and that’s how I was invited to the Conclave.” She smiled at the dwarf. “And I think the Creators just decided to have some fun at my expense and make me a giant, I can tell you this; it’s made wielding a sword like this much easier.”

“I can imagine,” Denki replied. “I’m more of a crossbow man, myself.” He patted the strange contraption on his back appreciatively. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Izuku commented.

Denki smiled smugly. “Doubt you would, I got her off of a rather reluctant arcanist.”

“Reluctant?” He knit his brow.  _ “Her?” _

“Well, she referred to this thing as her ‘baby,’ so yeah. I’d say reluctant. But when you offer someone access to a greater runestone as rare as the one I had, you tend to be more willing to part with things.” He smiled. “And yes,  _ her. _ ”

Itsuka sighed. “And  _ where _ exactly did you get your hands on something that valuable?”

The dwarf winked at her. “Trade secret.”

“Of course it is,” the redhead huffed.

  
  


Ochako perked up as the sounds of fighting could be heard just ahead of the small party in which she found herself. Izuku seemed to be heading straight for it, which made sense she supposed; he always was someone who wanted to help others, no matter what.

Before they even fully entered the clearing, Izuku began zipping around using his magic and firing off bolts of electricity from the aged, wooden staff he always carried around. As the others made their way through the snow-capped thicket of trees, they saw what their mage companion was attacking.

Demons.

A lot of them.

All of the monsters seemed to be staying close to a rift that hovered roughly twenty feet in the air. In appearance, it resembled the larger one that hung in the sky, but this rift almost seemed to shift constantly, ever in a state of flux as it bubbled and twisted into impossible shapes. Ochako was stuck in place for a moment as she felt her palm pulse in recognition of the rift before following Itsuka and Denki into battle.

She leapt into battle with a war cry and began cleaving her way through a handful of lesser shades. The enemies didn’t put up much of a fight, only requiring a swing or two from her sword before they went down. Behind her she could hear the telltale sound of magic being cast as Izuku cleared out his fair share of enemies as well. 

The powerful twang of Denki’s crossbow ripped through the air as well, along with the surprised cries of the demons who fell to it. Ochako made a mental note to ask more about the weapon later.

Itsuka, like Ochako, had to get in close to finish off her enemies and the elfin woman couldn’t help but appreciate the brutal efficiency with which the Seeker fought. Altogether, the four of them made a formidable team, and the demons fell quickly to their efforts.

Just as Ochako sliced through the last terror in front of her, Izuku appeared at her side, grabbing the hand that bore the mark and raising it to the small rift in the sky. 

“Time to test this hypothesis!” 

Ochako was about to protest when the pulsing she had felt in her hand earlier began to increase in intensity, and a beam of energy connected between the mark and the rift. 

“Now close it!” Izuku shouted! “It should respond to your will!”

_ “Should!?”  _ Ochako cried, but just as she was about to shoot her friend a look, the energy in her hand changed, and she could feel the pressure begin to concentrate. There was almost the sensation of a door, one that was cracked open. With a grunt, she focused her energy into closing that door.

With a snap and a hiss, the rift began to shift until it exploded into steam as the sensation of a door closing finally shut in Ochako’s mind. The green glowing in the area subsided at once and quiet returned to the clearing.

Izuku sighed and slumped back onto the ground. “It worked. Thank the Maker.”

Ochako quickly balled up a wad of snow and flung it angrily at her friend. “You weren’t sure that was going to work!? What is wrong with you!?”

“Hey!” He protested. “This stuff is way beyond anything I’ve ever seen before, but I had a hunch!”

“A hunch!?” Ochako screamed. “We could have died!”

Izuku opened his mouth to respond but immediately closed it. “Fair. That is fair. But we didn’t? So… yay?”

“Ugh!” Ochako slumped down too, giving Izuku one half-hearted punch to the thigh. “You owe me big time for that.”

He smiled ruefully. “I’ll make you dinner as soon as we have access to any sort of decent supplies again, promise.”

“Better be a damn good dinner,” she snarked back. 

Itsuka and Denki jogged up carefully, the pair clearly having just waited until Ochako was done shouting at Izuku before approaching. 

“So, your hand can do  _ that _ ,” Itsuka remarked. “Do you think it can do the big one next?”

Ochako shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

* * *

Nighteye adjusted the small golden spectacles on his face as he stared at the maps of the surrounding area from the relatively safety of the fortified bridge on which they had made their camp. It had been a rush job in light of the chaos that had ensued after the Temple of Sacred Ashes had exploded. He already had to deal with that oaf of a Templar and the Left Hand of the Divine. He still couldn’t get a read on the spymaster, but she was most effective in secrecy, so he should take some solace in that. 

“Chancellor?” one of the guards piped up. “Your decision?” 

His glasses rode up on his brow as he kneaded the bridge of his nose, massaging away the impending headache. “The scouting party in the hills hasn’t checked in, we have no ide-“ the sound of the wooden doors of the gate opening, followed by a grouping of rapidly approaching footsteps pulled him out of his internal debate. He saw the familiar face of Itsuka, a consistent thorn in his side, along with that dwarf from Kirkwall, the apostate-who he still didn’t trust- and…

“Guards, restrain her at once,” he commanded in a steely tone, smoothing out his white and red robes as he stood up tall against the woman who was just as tall, if not taller than him.

Itsuka stepped in the way of the two guards who were rapidly approaching the elf. “That won’t be necessary, she’s with me.”

Nighteye raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? Seeker, this woman is our only suspect in the disappearance of the Divine. You of all people sho-“

Itsuka stepped in Nighteye’s personal bubble, asserting the fact that she had at least 40 pounds of pure muscle on the tall, lanky man. “ _ I  _ of all people know that we can’t jump to conclusions in a situation where we don’t have all the facts. So far this woman has been nothing but helpful. She’s also shown she is capable of sealing the smaller rifts in the surrounding area. She may be our only chance to fix all this.”

“She also may be the **_source_** _of_ _all this_,” Nighteye said with a wide gesture to the sky around them. “She’s a risk and she needs to be locked up so she can stand trial in Val Royeux.”

The Seeker’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not your decision to make, we’re not going to whisk her away to fucking Orlais on the whims of one man. You are nothing, less than nothing, a glorified  _ bureaucrat _ .” She spat out the last word. “Now stand down, or I  _ make _ you stand down.”

Nighteye’s eyes widened and he spluttered indignantly. “I- why I never- you… you are making a mistake, Seeker. I expected more from the Right Hand of the Divine.”

“Your opinion is so insignificant to me that I actually blinked and forgot you were here.” Itsuka made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Now, out of my sight, I have a battle to win.”

The chancellor adjusted his flat topped hat and quickly stormed away.

* * *

“Now then,” Itsuka remarked, turning to the stunned faces of Izuku, Ochako, and Denki. “We have some decisions to make. Scout, report.”

A soldier in green robes and metal accents nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am. Currently Commander Tenya is leading a frontal assault on the main horde of demons in the field. We dispatched a secondary scout unit in the hills but no one has heard from them.”

Itsuka sighed, looking down to the scattered papers on the desk. A tricky situation, for sure. A part of her wanted to go join Tenya in battle; it was what she knew and it made sense to fortify their forces in the wake of all the demons coming for them. On the other hand, those scouts were invaluable. Kyoka only trained the best, and if they were in danger, they would lose valuable assets. She glanced up at Ochako. “What would you do?”

The woman brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, thinking quietly to herself. “I… I wouldn’t want to leave anyone behind. I think I’d go after the scouts in the hills.”

The Seeker smiled softly. “A noble answer, I agree.” She stood up suddenly. “Let’s get going. Scout, I need you to inform Commander Tenya of what we’re doing.”

“Yes, ma’am. Lady Kyoka is waiting near the Breach, keeping an eye on things there.”

“Then we will meet her there once things are secured in the mountain pass.” Itsuka turned back to the trio she had come in with. “We’re headed north, follow me.”

* * *

Ochako jogged up the path, taking deep breaths as the air grew thinner the further into the mountains they got. The views would have been breathtaking were the situation less dire.

The small party had made their way from the forward camp along the mountain path until they had come upon a series of impossibly high, impossibly tedious ladders that led higher up into the mountains. 

Ochako grimaced as she stared up and mentally prepared herself before beginning to climb each rung. 

After what felt like an eternity, the small group found themselves at the maw of a series of corridors carved and built into the mountain itself.

“This looks dwarven.” Ochako raised an eyebrow at Denki.

The man sighed. “Don’t look at me, I’m a topside dwarf myself.”

“Understandable, have a nice day.”

Sounds of water dripping and wind howling echoed through the chambers, giving off the vibe of a haunted place. The darkness pervaded every nook and cranny of the chambers, with dim torches being lit by Izuku’s staff as soon as they came into view. The lack of light made every second in the dismal face feel oppressive, and Ochako couldn’t wait to get out.

“Not spooky at all, no sir,” Denki commented. “Completely unrelated, but can we out of here now-ish?”

Itsuka groaned. “ _ No one _ likes being in here, can you stop being a baby about it?”

“No, no I can’t.”

A few more steps in and Denki stopped in front of a small grouping of candles. “Say, who do you think takes the time to light all the candles and torches?”

“Huh?” Itsuka asked.

“I mean, every time I go in a supposedly abandoned tunnel or cavern, there’s always very helpful, lit candles. Why is that?”

Izuku shushed them suddenly, craning his neck in the darkness. “Quiet, can you hear that?”

Ochako felt her ears twitch, and she was just barely able to make out the sounds of battle coming from ahead. “I can hear it, come on, the exit must be just this way.”

The four started moving quickly through the passageways in the direction of the echoing noises. Soon enough, light began pouring in from an exit just a few corners away. Cold wind stung at their lungs as they stumbled outside into the snow and were able to find the source of the noise. A desperate battle between a handful of scouts were barely holding their own against a group of demons who were surrounding another small rift that hung impossibly in the air.

“Let’s move!” Izuku shouted as he shifted into a blue mist and surged forward. Ochako rushed after him with Itsuka and Denki once again taking up the rear. 

The four of them quickly got to work cleaving their way through the group of demons, taking down a handful of lesser spirits and a few smaller demons with relative ease, each only requiring a slash or two through their barely corporeal forms before they dissipated. Each of the more solid demons required a few more hits, but between the magic and crossbow bolts that flew through the air, and the combined efforts of Ochako and Itsuka, the clearing was emptied of monsters. For a moment, the small patch of snow went silent as Ochako attempted to seal the rift as she had sealed the first.

Suddenly the air crackled with power and a piercing scream startled Ochako to her core. The ground was swept from underneath her as a demon that was a half dozen heads taller than her pulled her down. Her greatsword clattered by her side and she felt an indignant rage build up as she quickly collected herself to battle the new group of demons that began materializing all around.

“Shit,” she grunted as she quickly jumped to her feet, yanking the sword up with her and attempting to cleave the demon in two. Her sword managed to cut the demon deeply, but after a few seconds the damage repaired itself just enough that the monster could continue fighting. It moved quickly, almost resembling a lizard in the way it seemed to hunch and slither through the ground. That and its tail, which had been the offending appendage to rip Ochako from her feet before, made the monster difficult to pin down. 

After what felt like hours, Ochako was absolutely sick of the greater terror in front of her. Quickly, she decided it might be time to try something else, and began spinning on her heel and toe, gripping tightly to the hilt of the sword and began chopping at the demon faster than it could heal itself. Within a couple of seconds, it let out another piercing cry and burst into green flames and smoke.

Instinctually, her hand flew up and she once again attempted to seal the rift, this time feeling the door more tangibly as she wrapped her mind around the concept of shutting it permanently. With a large tug of effort, Ochako pulled the door shut and heard the same hiss and shudder as the rift was sealed.

Izuku jogged up to her with a satisfied smile. “You’re getting pretty good at this.”

“Yeah well, I’d be a lot better if I knew what I was doing.” She stared at the soft glow that was fading on her palm. “It’s frustrating not knowing what this power is and how it works.”

He nudged her with his shoulder. “I don’t know a lot yet, but we’ll figure it out together, I promise. If it makes you feel better, that’s sort of what it’s like to be a mage.”

Ochako hummed in appreciation and approached Itsuka, who was tending to the handful of scouts that were recuperating on the ground. 

“Thank you, Lady Seeker. I’m not sure how much longer we’d have been able to hold on.”

Itsuka shook her head. “Don’t just thank me, thank our new friend.” She gestured to Ochako.

The scout’s eyes widened. “But you’re-” She shook her head. “Thank you, miss. Much appreciated.”

Ochako had grown used to the stares. Most humans didn’t have facial tattoos, let alone pointed ears. In her clan, Ochako was grateful at least that the pigment they used in her culture was relatively light, being only a few shades darker than her skin tone was naturally. “It’s my pleasure, I’m just glad we made it in time to help.”

“Can you make it back to camp on your own? We still have our hold on the outpost on the bridge just on the other side of the mountain pass,” Itsuka asked as she pulled the scout captain to her feet.

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll head that way at once. Lady Kyoka is waiting for you at the remains of the Temple of Sacred Ashes with the rest of our scout battalion.”

Itsuka nodded. “Thank you, now get back safely, we’ll take it from here.”

As soon as the small scout group was out of sight, Itsuka breathed a sigh of relief. “I was half convinced on the way up here that they would all be dead and this had all been a waste of time.” She turned to Ochako with a smile. “Thank you for choosing this path.”

“Y-yeah, of course.”

“Now then,” the Seeker turned toward the north where the Breach was looming larger and more imposing. “Shall we continue?”

Ochako nodded quickly. “Yeah, let’s finish this.”

* * *

The final push through the mountains wasn’t necessarily difficult, with each of the subsequent demons they encountered being more of the same; minor shades and lesser terrors. None of which proved a difficult challenge for the adventuring party. With each battle, Ochako felt herself growing more and more confident in her abilities to combat the monsters. 

Her whole body had felt uneasy and unfamiliar after receiving the mark on her hand, and with every step she took, every battle she won, she grew closer and closer to feeling like herself again. 

Perhaps even stronger.

Burning homes and trees lined the snow-covered path toward the temple; remnants of lives lost in the wake of the absolute calamity that had burst seemingly out of nowhere. Every time Ochako tried to recall the events leading up to the explosion, she drew a blank, as if something was blocking out a section of her memory. Maybe it was the trauma of the event? 

She shook her head. This was all too confusing and new, and the strange mark on her hand wasn’t helping in any way with her confusion.

The Breach drew closer and closer, and just as the group was about come to the end of a long pathway, Itsuka put a hand on Ochako’s shoulder, stopping her. “I should warn you before we go any further that it gets… disturbing.”

“More disturbing than what we’ve seen before?” Ochako asked with a dry laugh.

Itsuka’s face appeared to be set in stone. “Much more.”

The elf gulped as her companion pushed ahead and she steeled herself for what was to come.

…

Immediately the sounds of retching drew Ochako’s attention once she cleared the wall of stones. She looked to her left and spotted Denki letting loose his last meal as Izuku patted his back sympathetically. As Ochako surveyed the surrounding area, she could hardly blame the dwarf.

Charred ground stretched in every direction away from the absolutely decimated remains of the large, ornate building that once was the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Every couple of yard, the earth was splintered with glowing green energy that matched the color of the rift itself; a sickly, bright green that could only come from the Fade. The trees in the vicinity were no more than charred stumps, and the ones further away appeared to be bent back, as if blown down by a gale force wind. 

Most disturbingly though, were the corpses.

Blackened corpses, twisted and mangled into inhuman positions littered the field. Remnants of the Templars and mages that had died in the wake of the explosion. There had to be  _ hundreds _ of them, not to mention the bodies that were reduced to ash and could no longer be identified.

Ochako glanced at Izuku, who seemed to be wincing, holding his head between his hands as if in pain. She caught his eye, giving him a concerned look, and with a shake of his head he staved off her concern for the moment.

If it was serious, he would tell her.

“Over here,” Itsuka called by a ruined archway that led into one of the broken buildings. 

Trying not to let her eyes linger on the remains of the people who had come here for much longer, Ochako turned her focus forward and jogged toward the arch. As she ducked underneath, she noticed Itsuka had walked over to a woman who Ochako didn’t recognize, but clearly was someone who commanded respect. She had dark hair that framed her face, with messy, clearly self cut bangs that formed a fringe. Her body was considerably smaller than Itsuka’s, but she gave off an air of intimidation that left no question as to her capabilities; this woman was a trained killer.

She turned to Ochako, her dark eyes glinting almost indigo in the low light of early afternoon. “You must be the one, glad you’re not dead.” With a smirk, she held out her hand to Ochako. “I’m Kyoka, the Left Hand of the Divine.”

Ochako nodded, taking the hand. “Ochako Lavellan, good to meet you.” 

“I wish it were under better circumstances. If you’ll follow me,” she said as she led the brunette through some shattered corridors. At the end, the wall was broken down to reveal what must have at one time been the foundation for the buildings. All that was left now was a large, flat crater that the Breach seemed to hover over. “As you can see, we’ve been maintaining our position around the perimeter of the Breach. Leaving it alone has seemed to result in fewer demons coming through, so we’ve kept a healthy distance and surveyed from afar.”

Izuku walked up next to Ochako and looked up at the tear in the sky for a few moments. “It looks like the other, smaller rifts. I’m betting if you try to close this one the way you’ve closed the others, then we can put this all behind us.”

“Easier said than done,” Ochako retorted.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be by your side the whole way, promise.”

“As will I,” Itsuka chimed in.

Denki sighed as the taller woman nudged him. “Ah what the hell, I guess I will be too.”

“Fantastic. Now, get your butts down there, let’s finish this. My scouts will support you from their positions above and I can spare a few ground troops to back you up.” 

Ochako nodded quickly. “Right, we’re off.”

The four companions set down toward the makeshift pathway through the rubble as Kyoka waved to them from behind.

“Try not to die!”

* * *

“Seeker-”

Itsuka grunted. “I know, Denki.”

The dwarf pointed to the sinister-looking, red rocks that seemed to glow even in the light of day. “Ochako, Izuku, stay away from that crap. It’s red Lyrium.”

Izuku furrowed his brow. “What’s  _ red _ Lyrium?” 

“Nasty shit, just trust me. I don’t know what it’s doing here, but stay the hell away from it.”

“Noted.”

Ochako could tell there was a story there, but Denki didn’t seem ready to share it yet. Rather than press him, she gave him a quick, sympathetic nod and continued trekking down the path, careful to avoid the red Lyrium along the way. 

** _“͔̮͒͑H̭͞o͎̾l̢͇͂́d̯̏ ̖̐ṫ̤̘͗ȟ̺e̓͢ ͘ͅp̯͕̊͂r͙i͕̐s͈̳͐̾ó̮̲͝n̮̏͜͠e̍͢r͙̖̆̎ ̛̲͎͌ś̪t̰̼͗̍ǐ̩l̙̜̃͝l͔̮̎͋.͉͎͆͑”̝͂_ **

“What the hell was that!?” Denki shouted.

Izuku looked all around, desperately looking for the source. “It sounded almost like… like it was coming from the Breach.”

** _“̓Y̅óu͛ ̓w͌o̓n͡’t̕ ̽w̎i̊ñ.̐”̎_ **

“That was the Divine!” Itsuka screamed. “She’s alive!?”

A distorted woman’s scream ripped through the air, freezing Itsuka in her tracks.

** _“̽W͡h͛a͆t͡’̛s̀ ̒g͝o̚ín̔g͆ ̅o͊n͊ ̃h̋ë́r͗e̾!͑?͗”͗_ **

“That-” Ochako paused. “That was… me?”

Itsuka’s eyes widened and she rushed to Ochako, gripping her arm. “You  _ were _ there! Where is the Divine, is she alive?!”

The elf shook her head. “I’m…” she shut her eyes tight, trying as best she could to remember something,  _ anything.  _ “I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”

The Seeker seemed to deflate. “...I understand.” she stood up tall again, smoothing Ochako’s sleeve out. “I’m sorry for my outburst. With luck, it will come to you in time.”

Ochako frowned. “I hope so.” Turning back around and dropping down with a final thud, Ochako found herself on the hard ground where she could finally get closer to the Breach. 

“Well, this is all terrible.” Denki glanced up at the Breach then over to Ochako. “Sure you can close this thing?”

She shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” 

With steady steps, Ochako approached the Breach as close as she dared and raised her hand. Somewhere deep inside she could feel what amounted to double doors that would lead into a great hall. Everything about closing the Breach felt imposing, and she flexed as much of her energy into gripping the edges of the doors with her mind and pulling on them as hard as she could. 

The Breach hissed and whined in response as if it was personally resisting her influence. A crackling sound emanated from just behind her, and a few scattered shouts warned Ochako that something was coming. 

Green energy bubbled on the ground and from it erupted the largest demon Ochako had ever seen. Its head was almost reptilian despite its anthropomorphic body. Silver, jagged muscles rippled over its entire frame, and electricity crackled between the two horns that arched up from its head. With a terrifying roar, the creature pulled at the air and a whip of pure lightning materialized in its hand.

“Pride demon,” Izuku hissed. “This won’t be easy. Be on your guard!” 

The collection of soldiers all around dropped into combat stances. Ochako turned to face the monster too, but as soon as her focus waned, her tether to the Breach severed.

“Shit,” she grunted as she put her spare hand on the hilt of her sword. “Gotta deal with this thing first.”

Izuku nodded “Yeah, too dangerous to try and shut the Breach with a demon like this. It’s stronger than the others, it won’t go down with just your sword, we have to whittle it down.”

The monster seemed to hear Izuku and, acting to prove his point, began to whip at the air with its whip. The shockwaves from the attacks sent soldiers flying, with only a handful able to avoid the currents of electricity that arced from the weapon.

Izuku and Denki began firing off ranged attacks in an effort to slow the monster down, but they almost seemed to bounce off of the demon’s thick hide.

Itsuka was wailing away at the monster’s leg, and she appeared to be having little success. Deciding to aide her, Ochako got in close and took a swing with her own blade. The energy from her swing sent jolts up her arm, and it felt more like she was hitting a stone wall rather than a creature.

She tried again, and couldn’t feel the normal sinking feeling of her blade cutting. There was  _ some _ give, but not enough to cause any real damage.

Somehow sensing her frustration, the demon seemed to almost laugh, its guttural voice sending a chill down Ochako’s spine before she was flung back by the lightning whip. Her body clattered against gravel, giving her a few new cuts and bruises that would be fun to heal up later, but for the most part she felt alright.

Izuku rushed to her side and knelt down next to her. “Are you alright!?”

“Yeah,” she spat on the ground. “I just can’t seem to put a dent in that thing.”

The man grimaced. “I know what you mean, it feels almost as if it’s stronger than it should be. But I can’t figure out why that wou-” his eyes widened as he stared at the Breach. “-ld be… Huh… Hey, Ochako?”

“Yes?” She stood up, dusting off her pants. 

“Could you try closing the Breach?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t we deal with that thing first?”

“Just… try it, please. I have another hunch.”

Ochako sighed heavily. “Well, you hunch was right last time, so why not?” Her hand lifted to face the Breach and she once again felt the imposing doors. This time, however, they seemed to be almost out of reach with some sort of barrier blocking her path. When she tried to push past the barrier, she felt a small tingle of electricity that resembled the energy that came off the pride demon. 

“There’s something in the way.” 

Izuku frowned. “Can you break through it?”

“I… I think?”

She pushed hard against the barrier, feeling it slowly begin to give under her pressure. With some extra effort, she felt the barrier begin to splinter under her touch. 

_ “Come on!” _

The last push shattered the barrier and, as it crumbled, the pride demon fell to its knees.

Izuku cheered. “It worked!”

“How-”

He shook his head. “Explain later, attack now!” Without another word, he began hurling balls of fire at the demon. As each connected, the monster took tangible damage. 

A war cry erupted from the soldiers on the field, and a volley of arrows began piercing the monster in droves until Ochako and Itsuka, with the aid of a small group of soldiers who were able to still fight, got in close.

Ochako roared at the beast, bringing her greatsword down hard on the monster’s knee, splintering the joint and cleaving through to the other side. All around her, the other warriors seemed to be having similar luck, cutting pieces away from the pride demon and reducing it down. The archers had started taking sporadic shots at the demon’s face, putting arrow after arrow into the beast’s eyes. 

After what felt like too little time, the demon seemed to be recovering from whatever stunning was afflicting it, but it appeared to be too late. The monster let loose a shriek of pain and attempted to stand up, but the damage to its legs was too great. As it attempted to rise to its feet, the destroyed knees gave way and the demon fell forward, gurgling and shrieking all the way. Once it touched the ground, it started fizzling with weak sparks, losing its form and dissolving into ash.

“Now! The Breach!” Izuku shouted.

Ochako caught sight of it once again and reached her hand up, recreating a tether between herself and the mysterious tear in the sky. She pulled on each of the doors, yanking them with all her might. Thankfully there was no barrier in the way this time, obstructing her pull on the Breach. 

She grit her teeth, feeling the connection between herself and the Breach grow more painful. It started to feel like the connection was electrocuting her, frying every nerve ending and causing her mind to scream at her to let go. Granted, were this not an apocalyptic nightmare of a situation, she likely would have let go.

The pain traveled further up her arm, white hot and blinding. Ochako could feel her focus waning with every inch she managed to pull things toward a close. 

Her throat burned as a scream involuntarily ripped forth, clawing its way through her vocal cords as the last precious inches of the Breach were sealed

The Breach boomed in response, the green glow growing in intensity until it became a blinding flash. Light flooded the area, and all the assembled combatants shielded their eyes for a moment. When the glow dissipated, their shouts turned to cheers. 

Unfortunately for Ochako, her world turned to black as she crumpled to the ground unconscious, unable to hear the concerned shouts of her companions. 

  
  



	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First impressions aren't always accurate.

The neighing of horses roused Ochako from her slumber, and throbbing pain in her back was the first thing she noticed upon waking up. As it turned out, falling asleep upright on the back of a cart was a bad decision.

Ochako groaned as she set down her pack, massaging the knot in her lower back that had developed during her long ride to the small town. It had been difficult finding a farmer that would allow a “knife ear” to ride on the back of their cart, but eventually, a kindly-enough older woman had given her a lift to the town of Holsworthy. It was a relatively prosperous yet humble-looking settlement that couldn’t be home to any more than perhaps a thousand residents.

With a quick wave to the farmer woman, she made her way deeper into town, looking around for some signifier that would inform her of the location of the mayor’s residence.

She drew her cloak tighter around her face, shielding it from view in the twilight of the cooler autumn day. Concealing her identity was a habit at this point. Whereas before, when she had first set out with a heart full of optimism and naivety, she had allowed her face to be viewed fully, expecting treatment no different than what she had experienced with the few humans that passed by her village and were comfortable around her people.

It turned out that life was far harder for a Dalish elf than she had expected. 

As she walked further into town, her eyes caught a relatively large home with a notice board out front.

_ ‘That must be it.’ _

She walked to the front door with some trepidation, rapping on the large wooden knocker.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, a rather ordinary, middle-aged looking man answered the door. “Hello? Can I help you?”

Ochako cleared her throat. “Actually, I’m here to help you. You sent out a request for a mercenary?”

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here,” the villager began with a relieved tone in his voice. “We weren’t sure we would be able to get ahold of you, Miss…”

“Ochako is fine, now, could you explain the issue?”

The man nodded quickly. “Of course, please come in and take a seat.”

The elf followed the man through the doorway, careful not to hit her head on anything with her diminished peripheral vision as she delayed removing her hood.

“Here, take a seat and get comfortable, we have much to discuss.” The mayor paused. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable.”

Ochako hesitantly removed her hood, noting the way the mayor’s eyes widened for a half moment before relaxing again. Not a bigot… That was good.

At this point, she could tell. There wasn’t any malice, hatred, fear.

This boded well for her actually taking the contract.

“So, Miss Ochako, is there anything you need before I explain the details?”

Ochako shook her head. “No, let’s get right into it.”

“Of course.” The mayor produced a map of the surrounding area. It was then Ochako realized she wasn’t too far off from the coast of southeastern Ferelden; perhaps just a week’s ride or less. The mayor pointed to a small swath of forest that was inked in just north of Holsworthy. “It’s up here, we’ve received numerous reports of activity we just can’t seem to understand.”

“What kind of activity?”

The mayor’s brow furrowed. “Instances of growth of non-seasonal plants, strange glyphs, and signs. I think… I think we may have an apostate.”

“An apostate…” Ochako didn’t get the big deal, really. In her tribe, magic wasn’t uncommon, but the humans were so afraid of what they couldn’t control. Although, with all the uncertainty surrounding this rebellion the mages were waging, she assumed that there were plenty of people who were afraid of mages and the harm they could bring. Magic in the wrong hands was like staring down a drawn and nocked arrow.

“Yes, Miss Ochako. Some of our scouts have even spotted a man walking through the woods, but nothing we can confirm for certain.”

Ochako exhaled slowly through her nostrils. “Okay, and if I can find this apostate, what do you want me to do with them?”

“Well, don’t you normally just…” He drew a slow finger over his throat. 

“No,” Ochako snorted. “That’s only if it’s needed. If this apostate proves to be too dangerous, I’ll deal with it that way. Sometimes an ass-kicking and a firm talking to are all that is needed in cases like these.”

The mayor chuckled nervously. “Well, if you’re certain, I trust your judgment. Would you like to rest the night here and head out in the morning?”

“I think it’d be best for me to head out now. The sooner I go, the sooner this gets taken care of. I don’t want to leave people afraid if I can make a difference.” Ochako stood up, drawing her hood back over her head. 

“A-are you certain? We have plenty of inns that would be happy to let you spend the night.”

Ochako shook her head. “No, it’s alright, really. I want to get the job done. Just point me in the right direction,” she paused, pointing to the hilt of the greatsword that was strapped to her back, “and I’ll get the job done, one way or another.”

* * *

A small cloud appeared from her nostrils as the air grew colder with the light in the sky fading into darkness. Ochako drew her cloak closer, lamenting the lack of preparation for colder weather. Leaving her tribe the way she did, against the Keeper’s wishes and protests, she hadn’t even thought to bring something warmer.

Maybe after this job, she could pick up a warmer cloak with the money she earned. Something with a fur lining? Yeah, that’d be good.

Ochako’s eyes alighted upon a strange, glowing symbol on a rocky pillar just on the edge of a small clearing. The shape was curious, some sort of glyph she’d never seen before. It shone with an eerie green light and appeared to be scratched into the rock itself.

Thankfully, the moon provided enough light to illuminate her pack, so with shivering hands, Ochako produced a torch. Lighting it with some spare flint in her pack, it provided enough visibility to read the map the mayor lent her.

_ ‘From the look of things, this is just the edge of the forest… if I keep moving around the perimeter, I’ll be able to check out all of the reports in no time.’ _

She stood up slowly, patting the dirt off her knees and turned to the thicket of trees just north of the clearing. 

_ ‘Might as well keep going.’ _

* * *

_ ‘Interesting, I’ve never seen a Dalish in these parts.’ _

** _‘We should be wary of her, she seems powerful.’_ **

He snorted.  _ ‘You worry too much, old man.’ _

** _‘Yeah, well, call it age or wisdom, I’m cautious.’_ **

_ ‘I’m gonna talk to her.’ _

The internal voice sighed.  ** _‘Why do I even bother with you?’_ **

_ ‘Cause you love me.’ _

The voice merely chuckled in response.

* * *

Ochako sighed, checking off another location on the map by the light of her torch. 

“Well, this is a bust so far,” she grumbled. So far she’d spent at least a few hours searching around each and every location, only finding a few glyphs, but for the life of her she couldn’t find out what they were meant to mean.

As she looked closely at the map, she felt her head pulse with pain. 

Dehydration?

A felled tree nearby looked like a comfortable enough spot to rest for a moment. Ochako set her pack and sword down, kicking up a small pit in the ground, clearing away some grass and making a small circle and digging for a bit with a small spade that she kept in her pack. 

Might as well make camp for a bit, rest up, and then continue searching once her head felt better.

A few branches here and there, some light from the torch, and a small campfire was some nice company for the dense quiet of the night. Ochako took a long draught from her waterskin and sighed contentedly as she sat down on the ground, leaning against the felled tree for support.

“Nice camp you’ve got here, mind if I join you?”

Ochako nearly jumped out of her skin, reaching quickly for the hilt of her sword and not bothering to remove it from its harness. She wheeled around and pointed the edge directly in the face of the speaker.

Said speaker was relatively harmless-looking; his eyes at level with Ochako’s nose, giving her a bit of comfort in knowing that she was not only better armed, but was more physically imposing. 

She set her face in as intimidating and steely an expression as she could muster. “Who are you and just where do you get off sneaking up on me like that in the middle of nowhere?”

The man smiled easily and put his hands up slowly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you! I just... wasn’t expecting to find anyone in these woods is all.” He shrugged. “Not many people venture out this way.”

“And your name?” Ochako pressed the blade closer to the man’s neck. 

“I-Izuku. Uh, can we maybe drop the weapons? I’m unarmed, promise.”

Ochako’s eyes narrowed. “I’m out here searching for an apostate. Supposedly there’s one living out here. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“An apostate, huh?” The man pursed his lips. “Can’t say that I have, I’m sorry. I’m a woodcutter, see, so I go around the woods pretty often but I don’t run into people that often, let alone mages.”

In the darkness, Ochako spotted the glint of a woodcutter's axe leaning against one of the other trees. The man certainly had the build for a woodcutter; he was well-muscled enough, with broad shoulders and a sturdy core.

Slowly, Ochako lowered her blade. “Sorry, can’t be too careful, you know?”

“Oh, I know. I appreciate you not beheading me all the same. Can I join you?”

The elf nodded, keeping her sword close and sitting down. Her eyes stayed on the man as he took a seat himself, raising his hands and warming them by the fire. By the light of the fire, she noted that his hair was rather curly and wavy, just barely staying out of his face thanks to his bangs being long enough to pull back into a short ponytail, with the rest of his hair falling in waves around the back of his neck. 

“So, I didn’t get your name. Mind telling me?” Izuku asked.

“...Ochako.”

The man nodded with another one of his easy smiles. “A beautiful name. It’s nice to meet you, Ochako.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” she mumbled, drawing her cloak tighter around her shoulders and suppressing a shiver.

Izuku frowned. “You know, I’ve set up a cabin not far from here. You’re welcome to stay the night. I have food and a fireplace, so I promise it’s comfortable.”

“Listen, just because I’m an elf, doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you, alright?” Ochako snapped. “I know city elves get roped into that business, but that’s not me, understand?”

“Woah!” Izuku put his hands up. “That is not what’s happening here, I promise! I just figured it’s more comfortable than sleeping outdoors. Plus, it’d take a few hours to hike back to the nearest town, so I wanted to help out.”

Ochako considered him for a moment. He may look strong, but she was confident she was stronger. That, and years of sleeping lightly so she could protect Halla from poachers meant she should be okay.

“...Alright, thank you.”

Izuku nodded. “No problem. Here, it’s just this way.”

Ochako rose up, grabbing her belongings and re-lighting her torch before kicking dirt to snuff out the fire. Once she was satisfied that none of the coals would cause any issues, she followed Izuku, who had been patiently waiting with his bundle of wood and axe, deeper into the forest.

* * *

“Huh.”

Ochako wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but this wasn’t it. Izuku’s cabin was actually… nice. It was small, sure, but the foundation was made from stone, with mortar and wood creating high walls and a ceiling. It sported a tightly woven thatched roof that seemed fairly waterproof, and the inside was  _ actually _ relatively cozy.

“Did you build this place yourself?” Ochako asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

Izuku shook his head. “No, saved up for a few years and paid some craftsmen to build it for me. It’s easier out here since I have better access to the land.”

“So, have you always chopped down trees?” Ochako asked as she set down her pack in the doorway.

He snorted in response. “No, it was my dad’s profession, but I wanted to be a scholar.”

“A scholar?”

Izuku shrugged. “Yeah, I like reading and writing. Parents couldn’t afford to send me to a university, though, so I went off on my own for a bit. Now I cut wood for a living.”

“I’m sorry.”

He waved her off, shedding his heavy coat and stoking the fire. “It’s alright, I’m at peace with my lot in life.”

That wasn’t very convincing, but Ochako decided not to press him. “How’s the woodcutting business?”

He laughed this time. “How’s the mercenary business?”

“Fair enough,” Ochako responded with a wry grin. “Work’s fine, even if people are reluctant to hire a ‘knife ear’ like me.”

Izuku winced. “I don’t like that term.”

“It’s what I’m used to now, I guess.”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s not right.”

“Well, thank you for being more sympathetic than most people I’ve met. Usually, by now I’d catch someone staring at my tattoos or ears.” She gestured to her face. 

“I like your tattoos, they’re intriguing. The tree of Mythal, right?”

Ochako’s eyebrows shot up. “You… know what this is?”

“Yeah, as I said, I enjoy reading. May I come closer and get a better look?”

She was so stunned she couldn’t find it in her to refuse, taking a seat at the table and letting Izuku sit across from her. 

“They’re not called tattoos, though, right?” Izuku said after a moment. 

Ochako cleared her throat. “Vallaslin.”

He nodded. “Right, Vallaslin.” Somehow pronouncing it surprisingly accurately. His eyes raked over the two branch-like tattoos that adorned her cheeks, slightly rosy in color compared to the rest of her face.

“They’re beautiful, the level of intricacy and detail is incredible,” he remarked. 

Ochako blushed, noting their proximity. “You’re the first person outside of my village to think so.”

Izuku backed off, standing up and stretching. “Well, the Dalish have such incredible works and artistry, it’d be ridiculous  _ not _ to appreciate them.”

Perhaps this man wasn’t so bad as she was accustomed to. So far he was impressing her with his level of education. 

And his kindness.

Nothing  _ felt _ disingenuous, in fact, everything about this man oozed kindness. He never looked at her for too long, or in a way she felt was lecherous in the way she had learned to ignore with the handful of human men that would shout obscenities at the “knife ear” woman when she would forget herself and go out without some hood or helmet.

Ochako relaxed a bit, shrugging off her heavy mail and leather armor, freeing her body up to relax. Under her armor, she a wore simple, olive green tunic shirt and a deep brown set of leather trousers. She had decided against wearing Dalish armor so as to not stand out any more than she already did, but she  _ could _ still find the comfort in the clothing she was accustomed to from her home and wear it underneath. 

In another room, Izuku seemed to be shuffling around. More than once Ochako heard the clanging of pans and soft muttering.

“Is everything alright in there?” she called out, only mildly concerned.

A soft clatter. “Yeah! Sorry, I get a little excited when I’m cooking. Hope you’re hungry.”

“Just as long as it’s not Halla meat, I’m starving,” she responded, walking into the kitchen and taking stock of Izuku in the better light of the small room. He kept things well-lit thanks to a series of small lanterns scattered throughout that must be a pain to light, but definitely paid off.

She noted that his shoulders were as broad as she had spotted at first, rather than being heavily padded thanks to the coat he was wearing. He dressed rather plainly, with a long tunic and twill trousers that were tucked into his boots. His sleeves were rolled up, leaving his well-muscled forearms on display. 

Not unexpected, she supposed, he  _ was _ a man who worked outdoors and with his hands. 

“Can I help?” 

He shook his head. “Thank you, but it’s alright. You’re my guest, make yourself comfortable. I started preparing this earlier, it should be ready soon.”

* * *

Ochako sighed contentedly as she finished her meal. Izuku, as it happened, was a fairly good cook. Their meal had consisted of cuts of wild boar that he had hunted, topped with a salad composed of plants he had scavenged and a few he had grown himself in a small garden outside.

“Thank you, Izuku, that was delicious.”

The man smiled humbly, a dusting of red tinging his cheeks. “You’re kind, but I learned everything I know from my mother.” 

“Then pass along my thanks to her,” she said with a smile.

Izuku winced, it was barely perceptible, but it was there. Ochako worried she had struck a nerve until he turned around and nodded at her warmly. “I’ll be sure to.” He stood up, collecting the dishes and taking them to the kitchen. 

Ochako yawned, stretching and popping her back, still feeling the stiffness from earlier in the day.

“You should rest, you’re clearly exhausted,” Izuku remarked as he walked back into the room. “Take my bed, I have a roll and can sleep in the corner. From the sound of things, you could use a good night’s rest.” 

“I couldn’t possibly-”

Izuku laid the roll out in the corner with a raised eyebrow. “Ochako, I insist, now get some rest. I’ll get up a little early and get the bath ready so you can wash up too.”

“...Fine, twist my arm.” She snorted, giving Izuku and appreciative look before laying down on the bed and pulling the sheets over herself. “Thank you again, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

* * *

The crisp morning air filled Ochako’s lungs as she trekked through the forest. She felt thoroughly rested after the full night’s sleep and the bath that Izuku had promised her. If she didn’t know any better, she would suspect he was trying to butter her up, but he had just smiled, cooked her breakfast and told her if she needed to rest again, his home was open to her.

It was a tempting offer; the promise of another home-cooked meal, comfortable bed, warm bath, and sparkling company. She might just take him up on that offer once she had located the apostate and figured out what to do with him or her.

Ochako pulled out her map, marking the location of Izuku’s cabin and finding the next closest location to investigate. With a huff, she checked her equipment one last time and set off along the barely worn path through the woods.

  
  


A cave loomed in the distance, dark and imposing against the cliff face the jutted up as a small mountain range began to form. She must be at the upper edge of the map by this point, looking between the small sketch of the cliff on the map and the one in front of her. 

_ ‘Well, no use waiting around,’ _ she decided as she drew closer to the cave. 

Suddenly there was a rustling and a roar as a bear came barreling out of the trees. In her focus on the map and the cave, Ochako hadn’t heard the beast coming. She threw her map to the side, rolling out of the way of the charging bear and unclipping her greatsword on the way up, drawing it quickly and readying herself for a fight. 

The bear wheeled on her, focusing its beady eyes and letting out a low growl. 

Ochako narrowed her own eyes and let out a ferocious shout, bolstering her resolve and actually managing to make the bear flinch.

With a wild slash, the bear lunged at Ochako, giving her milliseconds to dodge back before answering with a slash of her own. There was a tug of resistance as her blade found some purchase in the thick hide and the bear howled in pain.

Blood splattered on the ground as Ochako jumped back, readying herself for another attack, but the bear seemed staggered.

Ochako felt for the beast, readying her blade for another attack to put the creature out of its misery when another roar filled the clearing. This one set the hairs on the back of Ochako’s neck standing. 

The sounds of pounding feet thundered and a horrifying form came rushing out of the cave; a rather large, rather imposing figure, clad in moldering armor with ashen skin and a gaping maw.

A Darkspawn.

It went rushing first for the bear, swinging a curved, rusty blade at the animal and ending its life before guzzling some of the blood. Ochako grimaced, backing up slowly. The creature seemed to take some animalistic satisfaction in ripping apart the bear, completely ignoring Ochako as it desiccated the corpse.

A twig snapped under Ochako’s foot and the creature turned its blank eyes toward her.

“Shit.”

The Darkspawn let out another bloodcurdling roar, black blood and spittle flying from its mouth and charged at Ochako.

She ducked under the first slash but felt a shove as the monster’s free arm knocked her to the side. 

Grunting and swearing, Ochako scrambled back to her feet in time to deflect the blade of the monster with some effort. It was times like these she wished she used a shield rather than a giant sword.

With a push, she repelled the Darkspawn and swung her own blade down hard in a powerful slash. The metal found a weakness in the Darkspawn’s pauldron, cleaving into the brittle metal and eliciting a shout of pain from the monster. 

Ochako felt some satisfaction until the monster roared and kicked her forcefully away, forcing her grip loose and leaving her without her sword and the breath was knocked from her lungs.

The Darkspawn, sword still cleaved into its shoulder, bore down on Ochako. Its black blood was leaking out in rivulets, giving it an even more horrifying appearance as it approached her. The rusted blade was lifted high in the air and despite her best efforts to clamber away as she gasped for breath.

She screwed her eyes shut and awaited the end when the sound of something powerful whooshed overhead and the Darkspawn let out a scream.

Ochako cracked one eye to see that the Darkspawn was on fire, sparks rippling over the metal plate. 

“What the-”

“Ochako!” 

The woman whipped around and saw Izuku sprinting into the fray, a gnarled staff in one hand, the tip glowing with crackling energy. 

Turning back to the monster, she noticed that it was momentarily stunned, so Ochako reached up for her hilt and wrenched it free before the Darkspawn could come to its senses. 

“We’re talking about this later,” she called over to Izuku.

The man smiled dangerously. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

Ochako turned back to the Darkspawn who was regaining its senses just as a series of shards of ice pelted it in the face. It reached up, clawing at its eyes and screaming defiantly. Seizing her opportunity and wanting this whole affair to be over, Ochako swung her blade straight for the monster’s neck. 

Silence filled the clearing after the scream was suddenly cut off and the body of the Darkspawn slumped to the ground.

“Well, that was exciting.” Izuku sighed in relief as he approached Ochako. “Are you alright?”

The elf turned on Izuku, aiming the blade still dripping with black blood at his neck. “Unless you want the same fate, you need to start talking.” 

Izuku raised his hands, muttering quietly. “Well, this is familiar.” He set his staff down and stepped back. “Maybe we could talk somewhere else? Where there isn’t the corpse of a Darkspawn.”

“Fine,” Ochako replied, keeping her blade aimed at him as she scooped up his staff. “Lead the way and no tricks. Got it?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

The pair walked until they found a small clearing with some relatively seat-height boulders. 

“Is here okay?” Izuku asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“It’s fine, now sit and explain.”

With a sigh, Izuku complied. He took a seat across from Ochako, who sat down on one of the rocks opposite him and kept her eyes trained on him. 

Izuku scratched his cheek. “So, should I start from the beginning?”

“Who are you, really?”

“Who am I,” Izuku responded with a chuckle. “Well, I wasn’t lying when I told you my name was Izuku. And, as I’m sure you’ve figured out,  _ I  _ am the mysterious apostate running rampant in the woods.”

Ochako snorted. “Yes, very scary. Keep going, what are you doing here?”

“Well, that is a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“I am, it’ll give me time to decide what to do with you.”

“Fair.” He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “I’m from a small village north of here called Musutafu. My family are all bakers, so we weren’t exactly expecting to have a mage crop up, and yet,” he gestured to himself, “here I am. When my powers developed, I was remanded to the nearest Circle.”

Ochako winced. She had heard of how humans treated their mages. “How was it?”

He shrugged. “Not too bad. Three square meals a day and I got to learn how to control my magic. Things were okay for a long while, great even. I got to read as much as I wanted and I was pretty quick at picking up new spells and learning control because of it. That is until a new Templar recruit showed up when I was sixteen.” 

“Templars… they guard your Circles, right?”

“Guards… jailors… depends on how you look at it. They’re meant not only to protect us from the outside but protect the outside from us. It makes sense, in a way. Unfortunately, some Templars seem to take pleasure in their status over us and have some extra fun on the job.” He frowned, seeming to recall a particularly bad memory. “I caught the new recruit’s attention. He didn’t like how talented I was, so he kept tabs on me in less than friendly ways.”

“How do you mean?”

Izuku smiled sadly. “If it’s alright with you, I’d rather not get into that part. But I can keep going if you like?”

Ochako lowered her sword, nodding at him. “Please.”

“I’m sure you know why the Circles are so prevalent?”

That was an answer she did know, they’d dealt with an instance in her own village when she was very young that still haunted her. “Demons.”

“Right, demons. In a lot of ways, I get it; why we keep mages locked away in the Circles until they’re needed somewhere for something. Demonic possession is terrifying.” He shuddered. “But… Spirits? They’re not all bad. Not by a long shot. I guess somewhere along the way, I realized that the dreams I’d been having all my life were actually spirits speaking to me. Turns out I’m pretty attuned to that sort of thing.”

“Were you possessed?”

Izuku shook his head. “No, nothing like that. But one night, that one Templar caught me whispering to a spirit of kindness I’d befriended. He accused me of being too susceptible to the Fade and demanded I be made Tranquil.”

Ochako gasped. “But… isn’t that the process where-”

“They cut a mage off from the Fade, yes. I wouldn’t be considered appealing to spirits  _ or _ demons anymore. Plus, no more using magic, so I wouldn’t be a threat. The Rite of Tranquility is successful in theory.”

“In theory,” Ochako grumbled. “They rip your emotions out! These humans, I swear. It’s barbaric!”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess it kind of is. But it’s either be made Tranquil or be executed. In a way, I guess that Templar wasn’t totally wrong.”

“But then… how are you not Tranquil right now?”

“Well, the Blight happened. I don’t know where your village is, but it hit my home town pretty hard. The day I was scheduled to go through the Rite, a horde of Darkspawn appeared on the edge of the forest near my home. In all the chaos, I was able to slip out. I ran and ran until I was out of the town, disguising myself as a beggar. It worked. The Blight created plenty of refugees, so I didn’t stand out too much.”

Ochako’s eyes looked over his face, noting the sadness that was nearly palpable as he sat there. 

“I realized I couldn’t survive long on my own, though, so when a Grey Warden came through looking for recruits to fight the Blight, I volunteered.”

“You’re a Grey Warden!?” Ochako gasped.

Izuku chuckled. “Technically I  _ was _ a Grey Warden. The Joining didn’t stick, but I was able to get back on my feet thanks to my captain. I’m not Blighted anymore, so I couldn’t exactly stay in the ranks.”

There was something there he wasn’t telling her, but she decided not to press it yet. “And now you’re a woodcutter in the forest?”

He smiled. “Well, it pays alright, and as long as I keep my protection stave going, I’m safe from anyone who might try to sneak up on me.”

“So that’s what those marks are.” Ochako nodded with understanding. 

“That’s how I found you; I sensed someone cross the border of the stave, and discovered you camping out.”

“Right.” Ochako kneaded her brow. “So not only are you an apostate, but you’re a fugitive, a refugee,  _ and _ a former Grey Warden who now lives in a forest and accidentally terrorizes local towns.”

He frowned in a way that Ochako found a little adorable. “Look, I’m trying to keep to myself! I don’t mean to scare anyone, it’s just that the glyphs for my stave  _ happen _ to look a little menacing. It’s all perfectly safe, low-level magic used for detection only.”

Ochako giggled internally while keeping a stony expression, already having made up her mind about midway through Izuku’s story. He may be keeping things to himself still, but he had been truthful about everything else. “Well, my contract is clear; I need to remove and apostate from these woods. So, Izuku-”

The man’s eyes widened with anxiety.

“How would you like to join me on the road?”

His expression froze. “I… you…  _ what?” _

Ochako’s giggles surfaced. “Look, with the money I can make on this, I can afford to pay you. You are handy in a fight, plus you know how to cook.  _ And _ you’re a human man, which means won’t get bothered as much out in the open. I know it means leaving that cabin behind, which… how-”

“Built it with magic.”

“Right. Well, I can’t offer you the cabin, but I  _ can _ offer you protection. We can say you’re a rogue with a walking stick. If you come with me, you’ll be safe and free of judgment.”

Izuku paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “I…” He stood up, pacing back and forth, muttering to himself under his breath.

It was endearing, in a way, if a little unnerving.

He stopped, turning to Ochako and smiling sadly. “Alright, you drive a hard bargain, but I accept.”

“Great!” Ochako clapped her hands. “Now, we have a Darkspawn cave to seal up,  _ I _ have to go into town and tell them I ran the apostate out of the woods, and  _ you  _ have to grab the essentials before we set off.”

Izuku deflated even more. “You… Alright.”

Ochako grinned cheekily. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to this. Plus, once you trust me more, you can tell me the  _ whole _ story.” She stuck out her hand.

Taken aback before quickly recomposing himself, Izuku took her hand and shook it. “Alright, Ochako. You’ve got a deal.”

“Alright partner, let’s get a move on!” She cheered, picking up Izuku’s staff and handing it to him. “We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us going forward. So let’s go!”

* * *

Ochako shot up in bed, shaking off the dream as she looked around the unfamiliar room. 

_ ‘I… dreamt about how I met Izuku and… where am I?’ _

The last thing she could remember was-

“The Breach!” She clambered out of bed, noticing that her hand was alright and  _ also _ noticing that she wasn’t alone. Sitting in the entryway, clearly having just received the fright of their life was a young elven woman. A city elf, judging by her lack of Vallaslin, Ochako noted.

“Maker’s breath,” she breathed, slowly rising. “Y-you’re awake! The Seeker… she-she told me to tell her at once when you awoke.”

Ochako shook her head, still a bit hazy. “Wait, it’s alright, just explain. Where am I-”

“At once, she said!” the young woman cried, scurrying from the room and outdoors.

Ochako blinked once before rushing after her before being met with a crowd of people all staring at her in shock.

Wait, this was Haven… 

She looked up at the sky where the Breach had been, noting only a greenish tinge to the area and a swirl of clouds, but no more crack in the sky.

Had they actually done it? Was it over?

“The Herald!”

Ochako refocused on the crowd, who were either saluting her with their fists over their hearts or kneeling on one knee.

“It’s the Herald of Andraste!”

“The wha-”

People began breaking out into a cacophony of hushed conversations as one after another, they all began bowing their heads to her as if she was some great hero.

“All hail! The Herald of Andraste!”

_ ‘What.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, Titus, for beta reading this.   
Sorry, I know it's a bit of a backtrack, but I figured you all might be interested in how Izuku and Ochako met and started traveling together in this.   
Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you all in the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Come on down to Discord Town where Epsilon110 let me carve out my own little nook on his server
> 
> [check it out](https://discord.gg/3FmREtg)


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